A widows journey. Discovering God's provision is just enough for each day.

May 27, 2016May 31, 2016

Blog sharing: God’s Treasure in Clay Vessels

In the coming weeks, my amazing, Kiwi-Dutch, blogging friend, Anna Smit of Joy of the Spirit Within and I will weave our blogs together in a project God laid on both of our hearts. It is our greatest hope to share with you the beauty and treasure hidden deep within, what may seem like ordinary people. These dear ones God placed into our lives, have stories to tell, and we want to share them. They are the body of Christ, a community complementing and functioning in the beauty of their unique gifts and talents to minister to and encourage each of us.

Please join us, beginning next Tuesday as we introduce, Breaking Light: God’s Treasure in Vessels of Clay. We will begin turning the pages of these amazing stories. God placed them in our lives, and we pray, through them you will see your worth and value in Jesus love. Your treasure in the clay vessel.

When Anna and I began to brainstorm what God was prompting of us… clay vessels and Alabaster boxes came to mind. How they both hold what is precious and of value. How the Alabaster box, though ever so beautiful, has to be broken to pour out what is inside of it. And the clay vessel, it is ordinary on the outside, but inside it holds great treasure, the light and glory of the Lord.

I pondered later in a quiet moment… how like these we are and wrote this to Anna….

We were broken, and though we couldn’t understand it, He used it for good. Though cancer entered our lives and left a deep gaping wound, Gods light shines from it. My husband saw me as beautiful, as beautiful as the alabaster box. And I believe your mum, must have seen that in you, Anna. I believe they knew what value we had on the inside… what potential and what we could do if we could just share all that we were somehow. This fragile world so encrusted in sin, broke us open. Our loss, became a thousand pieces of all that once called us beautiful. He makes good come from the brokenness. All that was inside, waiting and hiding, has been spilled out. We’ve tried to gather the pieces together and soak up what was hidden inside. All that is sacred, all that we are and all that held us is never going to be the same. And as we look down at the mess…. we see His feet covered in the sacrifices of all we had of value, we smell the sweetest fragrance like Lily of the Valley and roses wafting up and enveloping us in a fragrant embrace, we find ourselves on our knees hands and hair touching the ground around his feet. All the while shouts ring out at the waste of who we are as we allow all that had priceless value be poured out to You alone. Shouts of this world say we need this or we need that or this resting curled up at your feet is a waste. Whispers behind our backs, saying she needs to be doing more, she needs to work harder, parent better, get over the brokenness already. And all the while, the fragrance permeates my hands and hair and You put your great tender hands on my shoulders and whisper, “The beauty and treasure is in the breaking, the freeing of that which was of great value. Now you cannot help but share it, the fragrance is so powerful, instead of just carrying it around in a box.” We are broken to His glory, spilled out to share. The shards of what we once thought beautiful, are mingled with tears and pain, but the fragrance reaches further then we can imagine.

In contrast to the beautiful Alabaster box, our beloved ones saw us as, there is the simplicity of the clay vessels. I believe I can relate to that persona better. The ordinary jar, simple in every way, not standing out or drawing attention to itself. But God doesn’t let us get away with that, He fills this jar with treasure. We carry around great treasure in these simple hearts of ours. Some of us have cracks and chips, a life of hard work and much use. God uses those to cause His light to shine out from. In the darkest of days, the dark is never truly dark… because these scars and cracks will not contain the light unto itself. We can be in the darkest valley and the love of Christ will pierce through the blackest night. Oh these jars may be ordinary to look upon, but God has filled them with the extraordinary. His grace is greater then the scars and the breaks, He will bring goodness in the land of the living, where once it felt like just dying. He will pour forth his light from this jar in all its simplicity. No one will have a choice but to see Him.

Dear one, sigh, I was told once… I have never been stronger and yet
.. I have never been more vulnerable. It is Oh so true.

The above is my thoughts on our blog. A piece of myself in the area of being that alabaster box and the clay vessel.

We pray you are inspired, blessed and filled with hope. This is a link to Anna’s blog post on her thoughts as we begin…

7 thoughts on “Blog sharing: God’s Treasure in Clay Vessels”

You have written such a beautiful picture/prayer of the Alabaster Box! Before my diagnosis with chronic illness over a year and a half ago, one of the last ministries that the Lord allowed me to share, was a dramatic portrayal of the Woman with the Alabaster box. It was such a freeing portrayal for me personally to know that Jesus accepted my worship and never called it a waste. I so needed this reminder today, as I know that the Lord is making that portrayal from 2 years ago even more complete today, in this place of brokenness. Thank you so much for sharing from your heart. May God Bless you and Anna on your new journey!

Hello Bettie,
How incredibly sweet your encouragement is. Thank you for sharing here.
Your last ministry sounds amazingly fascinating. I’d love to hear more about it… I have always loved the surrender and the sacrifice this story spoke.
Thank you for your prayers and blessings as we begin this new journey. I hope you will join us again.

Thank you Wendy, for wanting to hear my story! I hope it’s ok, I mentioned your encouragement, and linked back here to your beautiful words today, over at my blog, http://raseasons.blogspot.com/2016/05/at-his-feet.html. May Jesus bless you with the same encouragement that you give to others!

Hi Bettie,
Thanks you for your kind encouragement. Am happy that you linked up my post, what an honor. I read your post it is special. How wonderful that drama must have been. I am not imagine your current pain and the difficulty it must be. But I was so thankful to hear you had support from your husband and are leaning into God’s brand shoulders.
Wendy